


Running Home to You

by westxkravitz



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-15
Updated: 2019-04-16
Packaged: 2020-01-14 17:54:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18481366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/westxkravitz/pseuds/westxkravitz
Summary: Barry and Nora go to 2040 kind based on those vids of them filming 5x18The title says it all.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I really rushed this and there are def mistakes cuz I'm a busy college kid so have at it if you want trolls but if not I hope you guys enjoy and yes there will be another chapter!

“I promise I'll never see Thawne again!” Nora West-Allen screams at her father.

 

It’s a gloomy night in 2040 and thinking about the logistics of the situation nothing about this seems right. Yet, somehow it is and somehow it’s all her fault.

 

“ _You_ promise?” Barry says back slightly sarcastic.

 

Between Iris threatening to both murder and kick him out, it hasn’t been exactly the best day. He did what he thought was right for Nora, what would keep her safe from herself and from others. Yes maybe he should have consulted Iris on such a monumental decision but he wasn’t thinking clearly, he wasn’t seeing clearly then. However, he could definitely tell that even Nora herself couldn’t believe her words.

 

She shared so many qualities with him: the jittery movements because they’ve been caught, the anxious breaths because of consequences, all while mentally beating themselves up for managing to be both incredibly smart and widely stupid all at once. It was times like those when Barry yearned for someone else to make everything okay, and then it dawned on him.

 

“You promise?” Barry repeated once more, hoping she’d agree so he could put his (very well thought out) plan into action.

 

Nora nodded and Barry laughed dryly.

 

“ Good now, stay here _please,_ ” Barry says motioning for her to stay put.

 

“Dad, you can’t do that, this isn’t the Central City you know things are different here, _you need me_ ” Nora replies somewhat frustrated.

 

“I know but trust me, if I know anything about this city, I’ll find exactly what I’m looking for when  I need he-it most” he stutters, not wanting to be too obvious.

 

“ _Well, at least there aren’t any cells you can throw me in_ ” Nora mutters.

 

“What’s that?”  Barry says promptly turning back around with his lips tightly pressed together.

 

“Nothing” Nora replies shifting uncomfortably.

 

“Thought so, alright well why don’t you follow me and if I get lost you’ll be there to help” Barry doesn’t wait for an answer, opting to run in his desired direction.

 

It doesn’t take Nora too long to put the pieces together as they quietly speed through the city but, there was no turning back now. So it was no surprise when she let out a heavy sigh as they came to a halt in front of a house.

 

“Do you know why I brought you here?” Barry asks quietly

 

“It's the middle of the night we shouldn't bother anyone-” Nora starts

 

“ I know,” Barry says cutting her off.

 

“Maybe we should just...” laughs an unmistakably nervous Nora.

 

“Walk,” Barry says curtly leaving no room for question.

 

“You know what’s really cool-” Nora says hoping to avoid everything that’s about to happen.

 

“Up the steps,” says Barry walking past her.

 

“You know, Happy Harbor is like 5 minutes away if we run fast!” she says the tears beginning to form in her eyes. She’s afraid, she’s so afraid about what’s on the other side of that door.

 

“ _Nora_ , I’m going to wait five seconds and if you don’t knock on the door I’ll phase you though it myself, clear?” her father says angrily.

 

Swallowing all her pride, Nora West-Allen makes three curt knocks on the door, despite that fact that it opens with facial recognition, despite the sound of heels slowly clicking on a wooden floor as she does, then suddenly it swings open.

 

“Cisco I told you I’m- Nora?.” says a shocked female voice.

 

Nora says nothing while stepping aside, the tears streaming down her face answer enough.

 

“ Honey I’m- wait is.. is that..” the woman says so hopefully it nearly broke her heart.

 

“Hi, Iris...”

 

“ _Barry_?”


	2. Remember

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just finishing this fic off I doubt this will happen in the show but oh well, sorry for any mistakes. Enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoy! Thanks for the love sorry for any mistakes!

"You.. you're supposed to be"  Iris stutters.

 

Her hands are shaking and there are tears in her eyes. Yet,  Barry can't help but notice how beautiful she still is. Her hair is grey and curly, no longer long and flowy. It's natural, this feels natural, she feels natural. Just as it was natural for Iris to live in the house they grew up in.

 

"You're so young, too young- get inside you two before you catch something. This conversation is far from over Nora West-Allen just you wait." Iris says sitting down on a nearby couch.

 

She didn't feel old, she felt like Iris. Beautiful and strong but, she was tired.. she was so tired and Barry knew her. He knew her so well _still_.

 

"Iris?" he asked softly taking a seat in the chair next to her, her grasp her hands. They're warm and fit perfectly in his, they always will, he smiles.

 

"Yes, B-b-bear" she struggles to say his nickname it's painful, so painful it's been so long. She starts to tear up and it takes everything within Barry for him to not reach out and brush them away.

 

"How long has it been, since you last saw Nora?" he asks patiently.

 

"One year," Iris says the anger in her voice taking the forefront.

 

"One- Nora?" Barry's head whips around angrily to stare at his daughter who's nestled herself in a corner, whistling.

 

"Barry it's okay please I can handle it," Iris says getting up.

 

"No.. no you sit, I've been waiting so long for this moment, trust me. You can't lie to me Iris, I know you, you're tired. It's okay, sit, I've got this." Barry says motioning for her to sit back down.

 

Iris smiles softly.

 

"One year?" Barry asks quietly.

 

"Dad please, I just wanted to-" Nora starts.

 

"No, what you're going to do is sit and listen because right now I'm talking. See that's the thing about being a parent, you don't seem to understand that I'm supposed to do what's best for you in any timeline. How dare you leave your mother here, how dare you do that. I don't care if I'm falling from the sky, your mother will always be the most important thing in my life and the same should go for you. You can't go running off into the past because you feel like you missed out.

Barry moves closer to Nora until they're eye to eye.

 

Nora wants to say a million things, try to make him understand what it felt like to be alone, what it felt like to wait so long for someone to just come home “You don’t understand.”

 

"I don’t understand, of-” begins Barry

 

“-All people, your father understands way more than you know. I never did tell you about _all_ the times he snuck out to see his dad in jail.” Iris says finishing Barry’s sentence. I’m sorry if I was too sad or too angry or too everything else to be the mom you needed on my bad days. I love you  Nora but I can’t lose you.. I can’t lose you both.”

 

“It was never your fault mom, I know that now. I didn’t understand. It’s why- it’s why-” Nora can barely finish her sentence.

 

For some reason, it was harder here, maybe it was because everything was too familiar. The notches in the wall that marked her considerably stagnant height, the crayon marks on the table from when she got too excited as a child. It was different here because it was home. Home in the sense that she belonged not home in the sense that no matter how much she wished she didn’t... she did and so she told her _everything._ Both her parents held her as she cried despite their age differences they fit together perfectly. They looked at each other in the way only two people who were truly in love could but nothing more. An acknowledgment that their bond transcended timelines, that they would always be together even when they were apart. She didn’t want to leave her mom tonight. She excused herself and decided to let her parents talk they deserved that much.

 

When all was quiet Iris spoke “I forgot” she laughs.

 

“Forgot what?” Barry ask confused

 

“How good you are at it, being a father,” she says twisting her ring as she perches on the couch.

 

“You know, you don’t feel different, nothing about this feels different,” Barry says.

 

“Barry I look-” Iris starts

 

“You look like a mother who’s done so much for her child. You look like someone who stays strong no matter what the circumstance. You look like Iris, that’s what you look like.” Barry finishes sitting down next to her.

 

Iris reaches out and carefully grabs his face, she has to make sure he’s real. She brushes her thumb alongside his cheek and sighs. This isn’t her Barry, the Barry she lost so long ago, whose still lost and that’s okay and she’s okay and her daughter is home and that’s the greatest gift he could’ve given her.

 

“You brought her home to me,” she says laughing almost hesitant, fearing the muscle was strained after all it had been a year.

 

“I always will Iris, I’ll always be here.” he takes her hand and places it on his chest.

 

The memory comes flooding back to Iris fondly “ Still too fast” she says sadly. “I’m too old to jump into your arms now but I’m glad you're okay,”  she says getting up as they both walk towards the door.

 

“And Barry, don’t do it- not yet,” she says knowingly.

 

“You’ve still got it” he laughs and she hits him playfully.

 

“Never lost it, now get going young man!” she says laughing once more.

 

“Young man? Excuse me I am your husband! I am the not youngest not fastest man alive you're ever gonna get” Barry says smiling before walking outside.

 

He looks up to the upstairs window where his old room lay to see Nora staring back down at him.

 

“She’s gonna be fine, don’t worry,” Iris says leaning against the door.

 

“I’m not, she has you,” Barry says shrugging as he slowly walks down the steps.

 

“Hey Bear?” she says no longer strained- natural, just as natural as what she’s about to say next.

 

“Yea” he answers

 

“Come back to me someday,” she says smiling.

 

He nods and races off, and with that, he’s gone again but, she’s okay now. Everything she needs is right here with her and in her heart. She can’t help but laugh when she looks outside to find petals spelling out her name.

 

“ _He’s still got it_ …. I love you, Barry Allen, I never stopped loving you”

 

 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
